Trauma na infância e adolescência: Epidemiologia, tratamento e aspectos econômicos em um hospital público

Abstract

Introduction: the motivation to conduct this study was the reduced number of articles in literature correlating multiple trauma in childhood and infancy. The objective here was to describe the epidemiological profile of traumatic injuries treated in a trauma center, evaluating the economic aspects associated with hospitalized patients' costs and the period of hospital stay according to the treatment provided. Material and Methods: we assessed all Pirajussara Hospital patients' files in the period of December of 2005 to December 2006. We selected 182 patients, 129 (71%) males and 53 (29%) females; 88 (48%) Caucasian and 94 (52%) non-Caucasian children. Results: male patients were prevalent, with 129 (71%) cases. The most frequent trauma mechanism was fall (36%) and the primary diagnose was humeral supracondylar fracture (20,9%) and 47 (25,82%) associated lesions. The mean hospitalization time was 4.1 days with an estimated cost of R$ 649.50 for each patient. The most expensive and the longest periods of hospital therapy were associated to skull trauma and femoral fracture; the economic impact increased when associated lesions were present. The mortality rate was 2.74% with 5 deaths, with skull trauma being accounted for 80% of the deaths, while child abuse accounts for 40%. Conclusion: the pediatric population exhibits particular characteristics that make it unique concerning trauma injuries' epidemiology and handling.